Wondering What are the seven foods to avoid at all costs? It is important to know what food to have and what to exclude from your diet. But most people think it's just fast food that should be avoided. There are plenty of foods that are advertised to be healthy but are actually harmful to your health in the long run. We'll tell you exactly which of these foods you should be avoiding the next time you are out buying.
TOP 7 Foods that are BAD for your Health
1. Bacon
Bacon is everyone's favorite breakfast side dish. You just can't have a complete breakfast without a side of fried bacon on your plate. But do you know that bacon even on its own is not the best for your health? Even without frying it, bacon contains enough saturated fat to give you obesity and heart disease if you keep having it on the regular. It also contains high sodium, which can put you at the risk of developing high blood pressure.
There is also the fact that most people buy their bacon from a store rather than a butcher. Packaged bacon contains high amounts of preservatives, and a number of them have been linked to health conditions as minor as headaches to as fatal as cancer. If you want to have bacon, we suggest buying them from your local butcher to avoid any artificial preservatives. But it's better if you avoid bacon altogether and go for healthier alternatives instead.
2. Instant noodles
Instant noodles are a quick and cheap snack for many of us. Some even consume instant noodles as full meals since they are just so easy to make. Just ask any college student! Whether you are a parent who wants to give their child an evening snack or a college student trying to catch deadlines, we all are familiar with instant noodles. But are we familiar with the danger it poses to our health?
Instant noodles contain high sodium levels which will surely increase your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. It also has almost zero nutrition in it, containing only bad carbohydrates and fat. It also contains additives like MSG, and although its health effects are still debated, one thing is for sure that additives are not good for your body.
Just to give you a perspective on how bad that small packet of instant ramen could be, consider these numbers. A single portion of instant ramen can contain up to 15 grams of fat and 1,600 mg of sodium all together with the flavor packet. That is far too beyond your daily requirements of sodium. It's no wonder various studies have linked a clear connection between obesity and instant noodles. Women especially should think twice before getting addicted to instant noodles as it can cause a metabolic syndrome in them.
But don't worry, college students there are many alternatives for your cheap and easy instant noodles. Zucchini noodles can be made easily at your home and are just as easy to cook! Just
cook them like you make any pasta and you'll have a plate of healthy and delicious zucchini noodles!
3. Granola bars
You'd expect granola bars are healthy, considering they are said to contain all kinds of healthy grains and nuts. But do you know what else they contain in ample amounts? Sugar, lots and lots of it actually! So don't buy the advertising of granola bars as healthy because they contain little nutrition besides excess sugar.
If you look at the back of your granola bar's packaging you'll find that it actually contains carbohydrates and sugar. It will also not keep you from being hungry as sugar digests fast. Any granola bar you eat can contain up to 11gm of sugar. For such a small granola bar, that's a lot of sugar.
The next time you are buying some granola bars for yourself, make sure to check how much sugar it contains. If you want to go the extra mile and avoid store-bought granola bars altogether, try making them at home instead! That way you can choose your own ingredients and get to control the amount of sugar and carbs in your granola bar.
4. Microwave popcorn
There is nothing wrong with popcorn on its own. Just go easy on the butter and salt and they will be perfectly healthy enough to enjoy with a movie. Microwaving food is also not wrong and has no adverse effects on your food as long as you follow proper instructions. But putting microwave and popcorn together can be problematic for your health.
It is all because of what the bag of microwave popcorn contains. An average bag of microwave popcorn contains a wide number of chemicals to preserve the corn kernels. Many of them are harmful to the human body. One of these chemicals is Perfluoroalkys, which has been linked to health conditions ranging from kidney problems and lowering semen quality in men.
This is just the chemical part. Let's look at what microwave popcorn has to offer in nutrients as well. Since it already comes packaged, there is little you can do to control the fat in it. A single serving of microwave popcorn can contain 8gm of fat. But there's one more thing your bowl of microwave popcorn may contain that's bad for your health. Eating a single serving of popcorn will net you a total of 270 mg of sodium, which can contribute to giving you high blood pressure. And to top it all off, most microwave popcorn comes swimming in Palm oil, which is among the fattiest oils you can have.
You can easily avoid microwave popcorn by simply making popcorn on your own. Just buy some corn kernels and pop them in a pot over the gas yourself. This way you'll also be able to control how much salt to add to the popcorn.
5. Dried fruit snacks
These days people keep a stock of dried fruits rather than candies to satisfy any sweet craving. And while your raisins are for sure a healthier option than any skittles or m&ms, they still come with a fair share of disadvantages to your health.
Dried fruits like raisins and dried pears contain an abundance of sugar and calories. They also contain enough fat that if you don't watch how much you eat dried fruits, you can end up gaining weight. You also have to consider that store-bought dried fruits can be in candied form, which is even more loaded with sugar, calories, and fat.
Although dried fruits are by all means good when eaten in small amounts, many of us end up not following that. They are just so easy to munch on that we end up eating far more than the sufficient amount our body needs. So if you are looking for alternatives to satisfy your sweet tooth consider frozen fruit. They are also small and bite-sized to eat, and can be also added to your cereal or drinks!
6. Frozen dinners
For those who cannot afford the luxury of cooking daily, frozen dinners are a godsend. Just with one click of a microwave, you can get a complete meal of your choice. But along with that, you will also get a lot of fats, sugar, carbs, and sodium.
Let's also not forget the many additives and preservatives that go in a frozen dinner. Some of these additives can cause you a myriad of health problems such as heart conditions and even stroke. Many health experts advise you to avoid frozen dinners and try to cook in your own kitchen to eat healthily. It will take up just a bit of your time but you'll be happier in the long run for sure!
7. Ketchup
There is no issue with just a little bit of ketchup on your burgers. Although we usually don't just settle with a little bit, do we? But slathering your burgers with ketchup can be problematic for your health in the future.
Most of us use store-bought ketchup and that's where most of the problems lie. Store-bought ketchup is never healthy and comes overloaded with sugars and salt. You'd also think that since ketchup is made of tomatoes it would have Vitamins but no, bottled ketchup contains no nutritional values whatsoever. You are honestly better off sprinkling sugar on your fries since store-bought ketchup contains enough calories as it is!
If you want ketchup for your burger and fries you should definitely consider making it at home. All you need is tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and sugar. This way you will also be able to control sugar and salt in your ketchup to keep it healthy!
We understand that avoiding your favorite foods can be hard. But remember that having them in moderation is perfectly fine. At the same time, you also have to learn to avoid them whenever
you can and rely on healthier alternatives instead. We hope that the replacement ideas we gave for some of the favorite foods will be able to replace them and help keep you healthy!
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